


Die Mannschaft Spiral Notebook

by Fearlesskiki



Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction, Sports RPF
Genre: Brotherhood, FIFA World Cup 2014, Fips how could you retire from the NT?, Gen, German National Team, Philipp needs more fics, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon GO - Freeform, Take me back to World Cup 2014, World Cup, this is not a love story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-04-08 22:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4322922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of fictional short stories about the Germany NT.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wir sind eine Mannschaft - Philipp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the World Cup Semi Final after Germany National Team got themselves into the World Cup Final. Philipp is having deep thoughts.

[ ](http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/Yvonne_Chia/media/Fanfiction/Wir%20sind%20eine%20Mannschaft_zpsghw0aihk.jpg.html)

 

It's around 8 pm at the Campo Bahia. The resort becomes lively as the boys of Die Mannschaft just won the semi-final against the host Brazil with an extraordinary result of 7-1. The team is still overwhelmed by the whole incident as nobody predicted this result. They aren't sure if it is just a dream or it really happened. Head coach Joachim Löw decided to let the boys let loose for the evening, and what better to do than celebrate? They have reached the finals after all. Thomas takes charge of the DJ booth and the other boys start to dance to the music. Per and Shkodran take center stage and the others cheer for them. The staffs couldn't resist and join the fun too. Most of the players are having beer but still remain sober enough to dance and chat with their teammates. Some of them are a little wear out after the game, but the tiredness couldn't stop them from partying. The stereo is blasting loudly until you could hear from a kilometer away. But it didn't matter as they didn't have any neighbours around the area. Manuel glances to the left and notices a small figure standing on the beach alone. It is his captain, Philipp Lahm. The captain looks tinier than usual from this distance. He looks gloomy. Manuel politely excuses himself from the group and walks over to his captain.

 

Philipp is contemplating at the beach view, listening to the sounds of the strong waves bashing the rocks. Mix emotions of happiness, anticipation, anxiety and fear are churning into Philipp's mind. Not only he thinks about the previous games in this World Cup, flashbacks of the defeat against Italy in 2006 and the defeat to Spain in 2010 come to his mind. They've been called the nearly men for quite some time now as Germany has always been so close but not close enough to win. Although they are the favourites to win in this tournament, there are still many things that could go wrong in football. Germany is 2nd in 2002, and 3rd in both 2006 and 2010. Even in the previous European Championship, they came close in 2008 and 2012 but still unable to bring home the silverware. Philipp couldn't imagine another defeat in the finals before he retires. He definitely felt a huge pressure on his shoulders, especially since he is the captain of the team. And more so because of the timing. The players look up to him, and everyone back at Germany expects them to win the trophy this time. It would be silly to go back as losers after displaying such a huge victory at the semis.

 

It's been ten years since Philipp was 1st called to represent his country. The captain has been thinking about retiring his international duty after this World Cup to focus on his career at Bayern Munich and spending more time with his family. He would love to play for his country forever but he would like to watch his son grow up too. Philipp has been focusing most of the time practicing and working with the coaches in the past, only left a limited time to bond with his wife and son. Family is more important than any trophies in the world so he had to make that decision. Like any other footballers, the captain would like to end his career on the high by winning the World Cup. But not everyone has the honour to do so. The only thing he could do is try his best. Philipp knows that he might not get the Weltmeister[1] title at the end of his career but deep down inside he thinks it would be definitely nice to have that little shiny trophy in his cabinet. A little something to tell his son Julian when he talks about his World Cup experience.

 

"Hey, since when you're so anti-social?"

 

Philipp's thoughts are interrupted when he heard the voice. It is his teammate Manuel. The goalkeeper teases Philipp as he stands beside the captain. Philipp is shocked by his teammate as he didn't expect company.

 

"No, no, I just want to... you know, have some peace after that game," Philipp replies as he clears his throat. 

 

"What were you thinking about?" Manuel asks as he hands a bottle of beer to Philipp. Both men clink their bottles together before getting a sip of the German beer out of their respective bottles. The men remain quiet for a minute as they watch the rosy waves of the Brazilian beach splashing through the sands. The wind runs through their hair but the men do not care about messy hair. And finally, Philipp starts talking.

 

"It's been a crazy roller coaster ride. I can't believe it. We are in the finals."

 

"Yeah. And it's not a dream. Thomas just confirmed me that." Manuel refers to the pinch that Thomas gave him after they won the Semi Final with 7-1 against Brazil. The German goalkeeper could not believe it when it happened. Seriously who would predict that result? No one. Absolutely no one. 

 

Philipp sighs and continues, "And yet there is a lot of what if."

 

"You know, I have a feeling that we are going to win this one. My goalkeeping sixth sense told me that," Manuel says with a wink and a warm smile.

 

"You said that the last time," Philipp replies.

 

"Hey, hey, since when did you become so unsure of yourself, captain Philipp?" Manuel asks.

 

"Well, you can't ignore the fact that we were always so near yet so far. We have always been in the semi-finals and finals for a few times already but never became the winner. I might be called nearly captain for the rest of my life... But at least, this time, we don't have to play the 3rd place match. Gosh, I'm so sick of those matches."

 

"Yeah, those silly matches..." Manuel grins as he replies to Philipp's statement. The men stop talking and let the breeze blow their hair. 

 

"Well, whatever happen happens for a reason. The only thing we should do is give our best effort, and leave the rest to HIM." Manuel continues as he points the sky with his beer bottle. Philipp looks at the sky and he could not help noticing the sky is full of shiny stars. The captain didn't realise stars can be so beautiful. It must have been a long time since he last viewed them.

 

"And like the Adidas slogan 'All In Or Nothing'," he adds. Both Manuel and himself burst into laughter after that statement.

 

"You know, there is a famous saying. Brazil has Neymar. Argentina has Messi. Portugal has Ronaldo. Germany has a team. Football is a team game, you know. The best team will always win in the end." Manuel says as he lies on the sand. Philipp looks at him, flashes a smile and nods in agreement. The goalkeeper continues, 

 

"We might not have superstars like Neymar, Ronaldo or Messi. But we do have Basti the Fußballgott[2], our legendary Miro, Thomas Müller the golden boot winner in the last World Cup... And a peter pan named Philipp Lahm." 

 

"And we have Super Manu. We can't lose this time, right?" Philipp replies as he chuckles. 

 

"Haha... Yeah. Ans this year we have Super Mario and super substitute André too. What we have is a sky full of stars." Manuel says and he points to the stars. Both guys look at the shinning stars with awe.

 

"Hey, Manu! Fips! Stop making love at the corner and join us!" Thomas shouts at them from the bar. Philipp and Manuel turn around as soon as they heard Thomas' voice. Manuel then turns to Philipp.

 

"Wir sind eine Mannschaft. We can do this," he says as he pats his captain's shoulder before walking away to join his other teammates. Philipp stares at Manuel, smiling, and he joins the other guys a minute after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wir sind eine Mannschaft - "We are a team" in German
> 
> [1] Weltmeister - "World Champion" in German  
> [2] Fußballgott - "Football god" in German
> 
> It's been a year since Germany won the World Cup! =D 13th July is Weltmeister Day!!! This is for ya'll Die Mannschaft fans.
> 
> In this story, I wanted to show Philipp's concerns and feelings after being so close to winning every time. He has to hide it from other teammates because he's a captain. But he pours out his heart to his best friend. Manuel is a witty person, and it makes the story nicer. And Thomas makes everything better.
> 
> I'm still in denial about Philipp's international retirement. I guess I'll never get over it.


	2. Guardian Angel - Christoph/Manuel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christoph becomes nervous when he is about to sing in front of his crush.

[ ](http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/Yvonne_Chia/media/Fanfiction/Guadian%20Angel_zpsa8hlnqhq.jpg.html)

 

Christoph never liked being in the spotlight. He has stage freights since he was a fetus and even now playing on the world stage still didn't make it easier for him. He has been avoiding the newbie presentation ever since he was selected to the team, giving all sorts of excuses to flee from it. It is customary for every new member of the DFB to present a speech or a performance to the team as a welcome gesture. It is already a month since the young player was invited to play for the National team and he thought he could just skip this. However no one in the team gets sorted out. His team manager Oliver Bierhoff is making sure of that. Anyway, Christoph couldn't run away this time either. He is far away from home and stuck on a little "island" called Campo Bahia in Brazil. Brazil is still big and foreign to Christoph even though they have arrived a week ago. He is sure that he will get lost in this foreign country if he decides to run away. To make it worst, most of the locals couldn't even speak English or German and Christoph couldn't speak their language either. So it is best to stay with the team.

 

Because Christoph has delayed his speech, he is now forced to sing. Although Christoph already has a song in his mind, he is still mentally unprepared to face the audience. He wishes he has the confidence level of his teammate Thomas Müller. Thomas is not afraid of embarrassing himself in front of the crowd that Christoph will never be like that. He is too self-conscious about his well being and knowing his teammates, they would make jokes about him for a month.

 

He has chosen to sing Ronan Keating's 'When You Say Nothing At All' because he could relate the song to his relationship with his crush Manuel Neuer. But of course, Manuel has no idea about this. It is only a one sided love from Christoph. The young player has admired his senior way before they even met. Manuel has always been an outstanding goalkeeper. In fact, Manuel is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Plus, Manuel is good looking too. So who wouldn't have a crush on Manuel Neuer? Christoph, on the other hand, is still a fairly new player in the professional career. He is still young and has a lot to prove. Ever since Christoph arrived the senior team Manuel has always look after him, making sure he has enough food to eat and get familiar with the environmemt. Christoph often feels that he isn't good enough for Manuel. Now that they are teammates that eat, sleep and play together, his crush to Manuel is more evident. Bundle of nerves twists and turn in his stomach, making the young footballer breathless at times. He feels embarrassed whenever he does something foolish in front of Manuel.

 

Christoph is about to sing the song in front of the whole team and Manuel is one of them. The young player squirms in front of his teammates and the whole DFB staffs. He could feel his heartbeat beating fast and he will probably pass out any second. Christoph looks around and tries to flee one last time, but his physiotherapist Hans stares at him, forcing the young footballer to stay. He could see Lukas taking out a phone, getting ready to record the performance. _Not helping at all._ The worst thing is, Christoph has to do this performance on his own without any support from his teammates. If anything fails, there is no one to cover for him. But luckily for him, he is performing it at night. The darkness of the sky and the soothing Brazilian wind are able to calm him down a little. At least, the crowd won't be able to see his wreck face that clearly when he screws up. He tries to usher the other guys to come over but his voice is covered by the strong Brazilian wind. A few staffs gather the footballers together and Christoph starts his performance. He starts with a short and witty speech, hopefully, his teammates get his humour. The young footballer holds up the lyrics that he scribbled down prior to the performance with his doctor's handwriting. His hands shaking vigorously as he takes a deep breath and starts to sing. 

 

_"It's amazing how you can speak right through my heart..."_

 

Christoph follows the lyrics written and sings the Ronan Keating song with his heart. Hopefully, his passion will be able to cover his mediocre voice. The lyrics are hard to see under the limited night light. He swears that he had sung a couple of words incorrectly. The young player could hear a few laughs from the crowd at first, but it quickly fades away. Right before the chorus, he realises one of the lines are smudged. _Oh, crap_. As he continues to sing the song, he tries to figure out the words behind the smudged ink. What could it be?  _But when you look at me? kiss me now? hold me tight?_ The longer he lingers, the more sweaty his hands become and more lyrics are smudged. Christoph begins to freak out when he realises another line of words begins to disappear.

 

_"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me"_

 

Christoph could hear some singing voices apart from his own, and he is relieved to hear that. One of the familiar voices is singing it loud and clear. He glances to the direction and notices Manuel encouraging the others by raising his hands and swaying it from side to side. More and more people join in the song as the time goes by. When the voices of others drown Christoph's voice, the young player could finally breathe. He even engages with the crowd to sing together at the 2nd chorus. It is not the best performance ever, but Christoph is very proud of himself today. The team gives him a big round of applause at the end. He himself rates 23 out of 30 for the performance. 3 for his voice and 10 for the atmosphere as the sky is full of stars plus the ferry view is romantic. Another 10 for the mood because they just won a match earlier against Portugal with 4-0. Nice. 

 

Perhaps the nicest feeling is when Manuel comes over to praise him in person. The goalkeeper gives Christoph the loveliest smile that the latter ever saw in his life and it melts his heart. Manuel didn't say anything but Christoph knows that his teammate enjoyed that performance. Manuel hands a bottle of beer to him and places a hand on his shoulder. He feels physically and mentally warm by the act. The two of them put their sight towards the beautiful stars in the sky without saying a word as both of them do not want to ruin this beautiful moment. Christoph counts the stars by heart. There are ironically 23 of them, just like the number of their football team. All of them shine bright like little diamonds. He hopes that he and his team could shine like the stars too. When a shooting star slides from the sky, Christoph and Manuel both close their eyes and clasp their hands simultaneously.

  

_Please let us win the World Cup_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title was a headache for me XD But I end up with 'Guardian Angel' as goalkeepers are the guardian / keeper of the goal so tada. The previous idea was 'Catch Me If I Fall' but I find 'Guardian Angel' as a more appropriate title. 
> 
> Nothing fancy, just a little Neumer fic that I want to try. It is actually a scene taken from the Die Mannschaft documentary if you can recall. Neumer isn't really my ship but I thought of trying it since there are many shippers XD Hopefully it turns out well.
> 
> And yeah, they do look hella cute!


	3. This One Is For Me And You - Mario/Marco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mario's feelings heading to the World Cup final.

Sounds of happy chatter and laughter fill the living room of Campo Bahia after dinner time. Bastian is fooling around with Lukas, Julian and Benedikt are playing video games, Thomas, Mats and Philipp are chatting about golf while the others are busy tapping their phones, probably texting their loved ones from home. The team manager Oliver Bierhoff watches the players from the side, making sure the boys are not too stressed about the game tomorrow. But there is bound to have a little anxiety inside every one of them because that is just human nature. It is the World Cup final after all. Not everyone can make until the end. Who wouldn't be nervous playing on football's biggest stage? It is certainly not an easy task for the team, especially being so close to the silverware for a few times. The whole nation is counting on them to bring the trophy home this time. Even Adidas made a slogan 'All In Or Nothing' and it is pretty much is their motto right now.

 

Oliver glances around the room and spots a young Mario sitting on the sofa, with a frown and eyes glued to the phone for quite a while. The team manager makes his way to the midfielder for a quick chat but someone else is a step ahead of him.

 

"Hey!"

 

A voice interrupts Mario's thoughts. He glances to the side and it is his teammate and friend André. The Chelsea player squeezes himself to the same sofa where Mario is sitting, eyes focusing on his teammate. He asks, "What's wrong?"

 

"Nothing." Mario shakes his head and tries to put on a smile for André but his eyes tell another story. 

 

"You suck at lying, Mario Götze. Come on, spit it out." André says.

 

Nothing seems to get pass André's eyes. Mario takes a deep breath and utters, "André, I miss him." 

 

André's face becomes long as soon as Mario says that. He has probably felt the same as Mario. The Chelsea player puts a hand on his buddy's shoulder and replies, "We all do. We all do."

 

Mario nods and continues with a crack voice, "I just wish he's here with us."

 

Tears are welling up Mario's eyes. André stares at his sad puppy eyes then pull him for a quick hug. The Chelsea player points to Mario's chest and says, "He's here. He has always been here."

 

Mario looks at the said direction, tries to pull himself up and then smiles a little to his best friend. He then turns to his phone screen where Marco's picture is projected on it. Memories of Marco comes in one by one. All the happenings are almost like yesterday.

 

"It's okay. Let them win. We are going to win the World Cup in Brazil."

 

That was what Marco said to him when they lost in the European Cup two years ago. The Borussia Dortmund player even made a promise with his friends Mario and André to win the 2014 tournament together but ironically he himself is the one who broke the promise. And it is in a heartbroken way.

 

The scene is still vividly appearing in Mario's mind. It happened on early June during a friendly match against Armenia. They were all being happy as the chosen ones to represent Germany at the World Cup but an injury blew it all away. Mario witnesses the contact between Marco and the opponent, resulting the Borussia Dortmund star in an ankle injury. It also broke Mario's heart in the process. He probably cried even more than Marco himself when the doctor announce that the injury needs a few of months to recover. He is devastated because Marco is his best friend and the Dortmund player might not have a chance to be in the World Cup anymore. World Cup only happens once in four years and not everyone is able to represent their country and even when they do, it might be a once in a lifetime chance. Moreover, it is not easy to qualify for the event. The competitiveness in Europe is already a huge obstacle for them and with Germany's huge talent pool, the chances are even slimmer.

 

Mario winces and puts away his phone. He could not bear to think about Marco anymore. He has a World Cup final to focus on. The young midfielder tries to put on some positives thoughts. He looks around his surroundings and feels the atmosphere around him. Everybody else has a smile on their face. He could feel André gripping his arm firmly to ensure that he is alright. 

 

Being in the final is no doubt a special kind of happiness for anyone. Mario is nonetheless happy but there is a slight remorse about his own contribution to this campaign. The young player wants to prove himself on the international stage, especially this one. Yeah sure, he has scored a goal against Ghana that day but most of his performance so far had been sub-par. He admits that he has not been at his best for the last few matches. Critics are doubtful of his abilities and him not being chosen for the last two games did not help either. When head coach Joachim Löw announces the starting lineup, Mario is disappointed to find out that he is not in it. The line-up is almost the same as the semi-final against Brazil, with the exception of Christoph replacing Sami due to an injury. Mario lets out a deep sigh.

 

"Dang it!" André mutters beside Mario.

 

Mario turns to André, places his hand on the latter's shoulder and flashes a smile. He says, "Hey, cheer up! There are still three more chances."

 

Yes. It is true. There are still three spots in the substitution that are to be decided on the pitch. But that is not guaranteed. And Mario knows that. Germany might win without him playing in the final at all. Mario trusts his coach's decision and will be okay with that but deep down inside he wants to play a part of the final. If they manage to win, he wants the win to be meaningful for him. Mario wants to be one of the heroes in the World Cup than just being a World Cup winner in the record books.

 

The atmosphere on the morning of 13th July 2014 is a little tense. Although no one openly talks about it, Mario could feel the body language presented by his teammates and the coaching staffs. The morning breakfast is like the usual stuff, nothing fancy. There is a little pep talk from the coaches and they are off to the stadium. During the bus ride, Mario could see people waving to them, wishing them good luck for the finals. Although Mario could not understand their language, he could still able to catch some international gestures like smiling and thumbs up. Mario is amazed to see the locals cheering on them after beating the local team in the last match. It is an amazing feeling.

 

Mario could feel his phone vibrates when he is about to reach the stadium. He takes out his phone and he could see Marco's name on the screen. It is a bit surprising as they have not been talking through phone since Mario arrived Brazil. It is only exchanging text messages between the two. Mario had the urge to call Marco before this but he didn't because does not want to rub his friend in the wrong way by talking happy times about the tournament, which is everything Marco missed. He swipes the phone and starts talking in a tiny voice. "Hey." 

 

"Hey! Good luck in the final," Marco says in a rather cheerful tone.

 

"I wish you are here." Instead of thanking his buddy, Mario blurts out the only thing he has in his mind. He quickly regrets it as it might trigger Marco's bad memories.

 

But before Mario's voice comes out, Marco is a step faster than him. The Borussia Dortmund player says, "Hey, there's always the next Euro and the next World Cup. I'll come back stronger. Okay?"

 

"Promise?" Mario asks.

 

"Yes. I promise." Marco replies. "Now promise me to win that trophy or I'll never forgive you."

 

The phone conversation could not last long as the players need to get ready for the match. Mario hangs the phone and puts his phone in the locker, but his phone vibrates again. This time, it is a text message from Marco. He opens the text message and it says,

 

_Faith :)_

 

Mario spreads his smile wide when he reads the message. Faith is one of the words that Mario always use to regain his confidence. But he has seemed to have forgotten it recently and it is a good thing Marco reminds him. Germany is facing Argentina in the final today. Mario knows it is definitely not going to be an easy match like that had in the semis. Unlike Brazil, Argentina is a stronger team. They have international football stars like Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero, and Javier Mascherano. They have also been superb in their defense department as shown in the previous matches. Their goalkeeper Sergio Romero has shown some fantastic saves in the tournament. Luck may have to decide the winner today.

 

Mario finds a spot to sit on the bench with André and several other teammates. The stadium is packed with fans from all around the world. There is a sea of a white wave from the crowd. Mario could see a number of fans flew 9000km from home cheering them on with costumes and face paints. Even the locals are pulling on them to win over Argentina. When the players come out from the tunnel one by one, he could feel the adrenaline rushing in.

 

As expected, Argentina is good. They are really really good. Germany has some attempts to score but they are all stopped by Argentina's defence. There are a few rough moves from both sides as expected. During the first 20 minutes, one of the Argentina players bumps to Christoph's head with his shoulder. Christoph falls to the ground as a result and the medics rush to him. Mario could not help worrying for his teammate, praying for Christoph's health from the bench. Christoph looks woozy after getting up from the ground, and it worries the other teammates. Mario glances to his coach Joachim Löw but the coach does not have the intention to change. The game goes on with a rather blurry Christoph for the next 10 minutes.

 

"André, warm up." Mr. Löw says out of the sudden. Everyone from the bench looks at their coach with rather shocking expression on their faces. It is probably because Mr. Löw finally realises Christoph is not able to continue anymore.

 

"Huh? Yes, Mr. Löw." André replies and glances to Mario. Mario gives him a nod, wishing him good luck and the Chelsea player begins to warm up. Mario stares at his friend and could not help envying the latter. This unfortunate event has given André a golden opportunity, which is a good thing for him. Mario wonders when his chance will come.

 

Mario can only watch his teammates from the sidelines for now. It is frustrating for him, standing just centimeters away from the pitch and yet could not do anything about it. There is a few nail biting moments in the first half, especially that goal from Gonzalo Higuaín but luckily it is ruled offside. Germany has an equal missed opportunity when Benedikt attempt a header but ended up hitting the goal post. Mario clenches his fist, biting his lip, wishing that he is in the field. Both teams put up a great fight in the second half as well, putting everything they have into the game. Jérôme is fantastic throughout the match, clearing a couple of dangerous shots from the opponent. Bastian risks everything he has to stop the Argentineans from scoring. He keeps on falling but gets back up, fighting like a true warrior. There are chances from both teams, but none of them are able to convert it into a goal.

 

"Mario, warm up."

 

Around 80 minutes into the match, the magic words finally come out of the coach's mouth. This is it. This is the moment for Mario to prove. Prove to the world that he can do it. He gets up and starts to do some stretching. When he finishes the warm-up, he steps to the player changing spot with little nerves to wait for the announcement. Mr. Löw whispers to his ear, "Mario, show the world that you're better than Messi."

 

Mr. Löw's words have somehow given Mario the confidence to play. Although Mario didn't become a Messi, but he certainly feels like one now. The emcee announces the player change and Miroslav come out from the pitch. The crowd gives him a standing ovation as a token of appreciation to their legend. This is probably the striker's last game in his international career. Miro is a legend to Germany. He always has the ability to score goals in different situations. And Mario replacing him means he has big shoes to fill. As Mario begins to warm to the pitch, the referee blows the whistle. The game has reached full-time and yet nobody manages to score. They are going into extra time. At this point, whichever side that scores the goal will probably be the winner. Mario does not want the game to go to penalties. He hopes someone could score within the extra time and win the game fair and square instead of gambling.

 

Luckily at the 113th minute, the golden chance finally comes. André gets the ball from Toni and sprints. He looks around and spots Mario moving to an empty space. At that moment, both guys make an instinct decision. André crosses the ball from the left and Mario retrieves it spontaneously with his chest. As the ball bounces, Mario stretches his left foot as far as he could. The Argentina goalkeeper did not predict his move, thus, could not stop him and the ball goes to the back of the net.

 

  _GOAL!!!_

 

_This one is for you, Marco._

 

The crowd roars with excitement when the ball goes in. Mario sprints around the pitch and his teammates rush to him. They form a group hug, congratulating the young midfielder for scoring that valuable goal. But the game is not over. The referee yet to blow the final whistle. There is still time for Argentina to catch up. The German cannot put their guards down yet. One goal and Argentina could level up and it is back to square one. If Argentina scores a goal at this moment, they are most likely going to penalties. They cannot let this happen. Mario and his teammates have to stop Argentina at all cost.

 

At this point, everyone in the German side is hoping for the referee to blow the whistle. The players, substitutes, coaches, staffs and the fans all have the same thought. The officials add two minutes into the game and it is the longest 2 minutes they ever experienced. Mario swears that the game has gone overtime. The referee seems to have forgotten to blow that damn whistle. All the fans are praying no goals from the opponent. Just when Mario thinks the game is over, Bastian fouls Argentina's biggest star Lionel Messi, which resulted in a free kick. This is not good at all.

 

As the end is approaching, Lionel's free kick will determine the game's result. The German team prepares for Lionel's kick but to their surprise, the Argentinian kicks the ball way above the target. The final whistle blows and Mario close his eyes. He did it. Germany is the World Cup winner. Everyone in the team burst out exhilaration, forming a human sandwich on the pitch. Some of them even shed some happy tears. The coaches could not help releasing their joyful emotions. They hug in each other's arms, yelling the word 'Weltmeister'[1]. Friends and families flock to the pitch. It is a magical moment for the German team when they finally made it. Mario himself could not believe it and pinches himself to confirm it. It does hurt.

 

Someone calls Mario's name, Mario looks around and it is one of his staffs, where he has entrusted a jersey right before the game starts. He rolls out the jersey with the printed words _MARCO 21_. The Germany hero receives the jersey from the staff and takes it to the podium. He poses with the jersey in front of the press and during the group photos, making sure that Marco is able to see it from home.

 

_We did it! We are Weltmeister!_

[ ](http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/Yvonne_Chia/media/Fanfiction/This%20is%20for%20me%20and%20you_zpsj9joydar.jpg.html)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Weltmeister - 'World Champions' in German
> 
> I know this has probably been done a thousand times but I just wanna do it :) If you have been following my stories, you have probably noticed by now that Götzeus is my favourite ship so there is no way I could omit this.


	4. The Mystery Thief Of Campo Bahia - Lukas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things keep going missing in the camp and Lukas is determine to find out the real culprit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Idril_Celebrindal, who wants a Lukas fic :)
> 
> Cue the Pink Panther song!

Weird incidents have been going on in the Die Mannschaft camp since last Wednesday. It started off with the disappearance of Mesut's sock after the number 8 player took a phone call from home. He swore that he has put them in a pair on his bed before he took the phone call but it only left one after the phone call. Nobody took the matter seriously, thinking that Mesut might have misplaced the sock. Then it was Per's shrimps mysteriously vanished from his salad just after a short trip to the kitchen for some olive oil dressing. The other guys did not believe his claims, making fun of the defender for being forgetful. Then this morning Thomas was making a fuss about missing ping pong balls. But as usual, no one takes Thomas seriously. It only became a serious matter when Marco's National Team jersey that Mario brought with him to the camp went missing. Mario does not take it well. The little guy purses his lips, throw tantrums at his clueless teammates.

 

"Alright, this isn't funny. Who took it? Who?" Mario says it out loud to his teammates at the living hall. It got the attention from everyone else in the room. The guys look at each other, trying to get some clues from their teammates but unfortunately, nobody knows what Mario is talking about. They look back at Mario with a very confused face.

 

"The jersey! Marco's jersey! Come on, gimme back!" Mario continues to rage, stomping his feet like a 5-year-old kid. At first, some of the guys thought Mario might have misplaced it somewhere, or he might not have brought the jersey in the first place. But knowing Mario, that is almost impossible. The young midfielder is known to be a neat freak. He would clean up from his other sloppy teammates and his wardrobe is always colour coordinated. Mario also claims that he just ironed the jersey two hours ago. So it must be somewhere in the premise. The other guys whisper among themselves and starts shifting their focus to Mario's best friend and housemate André.

 

"No! It wasn't me! I swear!" André quickly replies when he realises he is being targeted. "I wouldn't prank on such important things. You know that, Mario."

 

Mario darts his eyes at his best friend, trying to figure out the truth from those big blue eyes. The only thing he could find from those bright blue eyes is honesty. Mario's eyes soften by his best friend's sincerity. To make Mario's heart better, André even swears on his own starting position for the next match. All eyes turn wide to the number 9 player's statement. André must be telling the truth as nobody is stupid enough to jeopardise their place in the team. Mario pulls André to an immense hug, apologizing for not trusting his friend. He could safely cross out André from the suspect list. But even without the pledge, the young midfielder would believe his best friend. 

 

The other guys then shift their focus to Thomas, who looks a bit shabby at the corner of the room. They scan his body from head to toe, trying to find clues on the Bayern star.

 

"What? No! I didn't even know he brought that jersey along. I mean... not that I would steal it if I knew. But-" Thomas replies with a rather shaky tone. This raises the suspicion from the other teammates. Eyebrows are raised up a notch, focusing harder on the Bayern star, waiting for the real confession.

 

"That's impossible. Thomas was with me the whole day. We were playing golf with Hansi." Philipp interrupts the conversation. It is true that the captain, Thomas, and a few others were out for golf today. The other guys nod in agreement. Philipp does not lie in such matters and the fact that Hansi is their biggest witness, it must be real. So in that sense, they could cross out Thomas, Philipp as well as Bastian, Kevin and Miroslav's name from the list.

 

One by one the football players share their out and about to the team. Toni, André, Jérôme and Shkodran were chilling at the pool before Mario joins them. Mats, Benedikt, Manuel, Christoph, Matthias, Erik, and Julian went cycling around the village. Mesut, Per, Sami, Robert, and Roman were at the beach playing beach volleyball. Lukas was napping.

 

The guys analyse the case and narrowing down the suspects. Soon, one by one the guys put their sights on Lukas. Poor Lukas has become the sole suspect in the case as he is the only one without any witness during the crime occurred. 

 

"No! It wasn't me! I was taking a nap!" The number 10 player says, waving his hands excessively. But his reasoning is not strong enough to support his claims, especially Mesut and Sami do not buy it. Lukas backed out on them at the last minute, forcing them to find a substitute due to odd numbers. Fortunately, they managed to find a local dude to join in. Also the fact that Lukas is one of the pranksters in the team makes him more suspicious. Maybe he should think twice when pranking others next time.

 

"Alright, enough! Lukas, give back the jersey to Mario." Philipp says with a stern voice.

 

"Philipp, I swear I didn't steal the jersey!" Lukas replies.

 

"Lukas, stop fooling around. That jersey is Mario's security blanket. He needs that for comfort." André chirps in.

 

"Ugh! I've said I don't have the jersey! How many times do I have to explain myself?" Lukas groans at his teammates. All of them give him side eyes, with some of them shaking their heads. None of them seem to stand by his side. Not even his most loyal friend Per or his boyfriend Bastian.

 

 "Lukas-"

 

Just when Bastian starts to talk, Lukas groans and storms out of the living hall. He could not stand being accused by his teammates. It feels like knives stabbing on his heart. The number 10 player sprints to the poolside and ponders at the water, wondering who is making such a prank on him. He could hear a voice calling his name shortly.

 

"Lukas! Lukas!"

 

Lukas turns around and he could see Bastian dashes towards him. The vice-captain pants hard as soon as he reaches Lukas, grabbing the latter's arms and asks,

 

"What happened?"

 

"Well, I want to know that answer as well! Things keep on missing in the camp for some odd reason!" Lukas replies with a frustrated tone.

 

Bastian stares at Lukas eyes, then whispers as he takes a step closer to Lukas. "Do you think there is a thief?"

 

"I guess so. But it is a weird thief, to be honest. So far the stolen things are not valuable in terms of money. It's weird that the thief likes stealing sentimental stuff? I mean he stole a jersey when he could easily steal money from Mario's room." Lukas says.

 

"Maybe he's a Marco fan?" Bastian replies unconfidently.

 

"Well, maybe. But what about Per's shrimps? Why would someone eat from his bowl?" Lukas says.

 

"Maybe he's very hungry." Bastian replies.

 

"Nice try, buddy. We have enough food for everybody here. What about the ping pong balls?" Lukas continues his debate.

 

"He is obsessed with ping pong?" Bastian replies.

 

"Fine. I'll let it slide. And what about Mesut's socks? Who steals smelly socks of all things?" Lukas asks.

 

"Maybe he's cold?" Says Bastian.

 

"It's 32 degrees, Bastian. I'm melting." Lukas replies with a snark as he crosses his arms.

 

But whatever abnormal habits that the culprit has, Lukas needs to get to the bottom of it. He has to clear his own name and god knows what the real thief might steal again. Bastian agrees to help Lukas to find the thief, giving him all the support that he could. The pair decides to set a trap by luring the thief. They mess up Lukas' room with a pile of dirty clothes and put up some delicious food on the table. Bastian sets a hidden camera behind one of the paintings and cuts a small hole just enough to get the lens through. They leave the door open with a small crack on purpose, hopefully the thief is able to peek through the hallway and walk into the trap. After the setup, both guys hide in Bastian's room patiently wait for the thief to show up. 

 

"Why did you put kebabs there?" Bastian asks as he ogles at Lukas' room through his phone.  

 

"Why not? Everyone likes kebabs." Lukas replies with him a grin.

 

"That's the problem. It makes me hungry." The vice captain's stomach grumbles, agreeing with him.

 

The two guys lounge on the bed, eyes glued to the screen for what it seems like an eternaty but nothing seems to happen. Lukas' eyes begin to feel heavy and he starts yawning. He could feel a weight on his shoulder. He turns his head slightly to the left and sees a tired Bastian fallen asleep on his shoulder. Lukas carefully adjusts his beau to a lie-down position before continuing his spy duty. When he puts his focus back on the phone screen, he notices there is a furry looking thing moving at the bottom of the screen. Lukas flashes a grin and says,

 

"I think we have found our little culprit."

 

Lukas creeps back to his room and he sees a striped cat carrying one of his underwear with its mouth, walking down the hallway with a perfect catwalk. He tracks down the cat but makes sure he does not alert the feline by leaving some gap. He soon reaches the cat's 'nest' and found the jackpot. All the missing items are there except Per's shrimps. It seems like that kitty has been lurking around their premise and collecting possessions. Lukas tip toe towards the cat, picks up the striped cat and looks at the feline in the eye. He flashes a grin and says, "You're a naughty little fella."

 

Lukas returns all the stuff to the rightful owners, including those that did not even noticed their belongings had been stolen. He even adopts the cat, naming her Catwoman from the Batman comic. Bastian adores Catwoman too. It reminds him so much of Nala the lion cub when they shortly adopted at the South Africa World Cup four years ago.

 

The other teammates seem to accept Catwoman easily expect for Philipp. Although Lukas and Bastian keep on convincing Philipp, the captain is still sceptical of Lukas' new pet. In the surface Catwoman seems to be behaving after Lukas adopts it, providing a good companianship for the team. But the captain still has a feeling that something might happen. And the captain is right.

 

 #$÷*&@+€!!!

 

All team members could hear a loud swearing coming from the coach's room. It is the loudest swear they have ever heard in their life. Everyone becomes nervous, wondering what is happening to the coach. Lukas could hear the words 'cat shit on the bed' along the lines and he knows exactly who the culprit is. The number 10 player hides his pet in one of the cabinets to prevent his coach from getting his hands on the cat. It does not take long for coach Joachim Löw to appear. And boy, the guy looks like he is going to chop someone's head anytime.

 

"Where's the cat?! Lukas, where's the cat?" Mr Löw says with a furious tone, eyes scanning through the living hall. All the players somehow made a silent agreement to save the cat by pretending to not know Catwoman's whereabout. But Catwoman just have to ruin it herself, meowing at this moment. Mr Löw squints his eyes, crosses his arms and taps his foot, waiting for Lukas to confess. Bastian mimics the cat's voice, pretending that he is the one meowing but it does not look convincing. It leaves Lukas no choice and resort to begging. But it is not an easy task either.

 

"But Mr Löw, don't you think it's cute? How can you say no these big green eyes?" Says Lukas, giving his coach the best puppy eyes he could.

 

"No! The cat has to go!" Mr Löw says in a stern voice.

 

Lukas' heart withers as he hears his coach's reply. He heavy heartedly hands Catwoman to his coach, but a hand prevents him to do so.

 

"Wait! Mr Löw, we can't abandon the cat. That's bad luck. It's a Brazilian thing." Miroslav says to his coach. 

 

"Yeah, they bring luck by moving their paw!" Young Mario chirps in. He refers to those beckoning cats maneki-neko in the Japanese culture.

 

"Mario, that's Japanese!" André nudges and whispers to his friend.

 

"Opps! Sorry!" Mario sheepishly whispers back to André.

 

Hans, Oliver and all the players try to convince Mr Löw to keep the cat in order to prevent bad luck. Some of them are not that superstitious but it is best not to risk anything for the World Cup title that the team has been working hard for. After some deliberation, Mr Löw voices out his final decision,

 

"Okay, fine. You can keep it."

 

Lukas could not hide his joy when the coach gives him the green light. He tosses Catwoman up in the air and catches it swiftly. Everybody else cheer for him and the cat. When he glances around he could see Miro gives him a wink.

 

***

 

Mario takes a deep breath to calm himself before the big game. As he ties his shoelaces he could hear a purring sound. The young footballer glances around and spots Catwoman sitting beside the sofa. He gets up and walks towards the cat's direction. He picks up the cat and strokes the feline. He whispers to the Catwoman, "Heya little fella."

 

"Mario! Come on! We can't be late for the finals!"

 

"Coming!" Mario replies to the calling voice and puts down the cat. He flashes a smile to the kitty before he dashes to the team bus.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This piece is inspired by Lukas' facebook photo with a cat. It somehow becomes crazy like a crack fic but hopefully you all like it. *laughs* I don't own a cat so I hope I portrayed the kitty correctly :D 
> 
> And yes, I love André's blue blue eyes :D


	5. Instinct - Mario/Marco

Something unusual has been the talk of the town lately and the trend will probably stay longer than Hiddleswift. No, it's not the Minion toys or the Gangnam Style dance, it is actually a game app called Pokémon Go which has taken the world by storm. It became the most downloaded app when it came out and its daily users in the first week even surpass social giants Tinder, Twitter, and Facebook. People from young kids to grown adults are obsessed with the game. The reason Pokémon Go captivates the public's heart is because it is a location-based reality game where users need to walk around the city to find virtual creatures and capture it with their handphones. To some, especially grown ups in their 20s and 30s are the hardcore players as Pokémon games and anime are a part of their childhood. Of course, young footballers like Mario, Marco and André are in that age range and they are no different than you and me. The guys and some of their teammates literally use all their free time to catch those virtual monsters. 

 

"Dammit! The Squirtle ran away!" Mario shouts. The young man has wasted 7 Pokéballs on a 24cp[1] Squirtle and when he finally hit the target with his 7th ball, the Pokémon escapes from the ball and runs away. He grunts at the phone and taps on his inventory, just to see one sad Pokéball in it. Mario has just refilled his Pokéballs at the Pokéstops from the training ground and now he has to go back to grab more. As he is about to take his step, he could hear a voice calling his name.

 

"Mario! Mario! Look what I've found? A Pikachu!" His best friend André waves the phone while sprinting towards him. The tall blonde has the widest smile plaster on his face. Mario's eyes become wide and his jaw drops when he sees the Pikachu on André's phone. He desperately wants a Pikachu himself because it is his favourite Pokémon and he has yet to register it in his Pokédex.

 

"Where? Where did you found it?" Mario grabs André and shakes him.

 

"The gym room! Hurry!" André replies.

 

Mario sprints towards the gym room without restocking his Pokéballs because he does not want to waste the opportunity to catch the Pikachu. When he reaches the gym room, he could feel his phone vibrates. He shifts his sight to his phone and there is indeed a Pikachu. It immediately lifts his jaw. He taps on the phone and notices the Pikachu has an unknown cp. This one is definitely a keeper. Mario has to catch it no matter what. The young man takes a deep breath and touches his phone screen, getting ready to flick the Pokéball towards the Pikachu. But he is hesitant about his move as he only has one chance. Should he go for a safe straight throw which is easier to catch or a curveball which will more likely to secure the Pokémon? As he is about to make his choice to go for a curveball, he lifts his finger and the Pokéball is released way earlier than he intended to. The ball hits the ground without even touching the Pokémon. Mario now has zero Pokéballs. 

 

"No!" Mario squeals. It was the last Pokéball in his inventory and he could not believe that he blew it in such a fashionable way. He has no choice but to get new Pokéballs from the Pokéstops. The nearest one is at the main entrance, which is around 50 meters from here. He can only pray that the Pikachu stays there until he returns with some Pokéballs. The young man wastes no time and dashes to the main entrance. The first Pokéstop he spins got him 3 potions, which has no use to him since he has not gone to battles. But he receives 4 Pokéballs at the 2nd Pokéstop, which is a relief. Mario dashes his way back to the gym room for the Pikachu but when he reaches the room, the Pikachu has vanished. The only Pokémon that spawns out is a pathetic Zubat which Mario already has a dozen in his inventory. Mario feels like killing himself right now.

 

"Mario!"

 

A voice calling out his name and it is his another bestie, Marco. Marco's face looks intense, the guy probably has something important to tell Mario. Mario slips his phone into his pocket and focuses on his friend. He could also see André following at the back.

 

"Mario, did you know? This bastard chose team Mystic! He chose a blue team! Blue!" Marco says.

 

"That's because blue is the coolest team. According to Reddit, Mystic is the most popular team." André replies. He turns to Mario and continues, "Mario, join team Mystic!"

 

Marco grabs Mario's shoulder and yanks him to his side and says, "Well boo hoo to team blue 'cause Mario will be joining team yellow with me. Team Instinct will be the best when we beat the hell out of you. Right, Mario?"

 

Mario remains silent and plasters an artificial smile to his buddy. To be honest, he has not decided on which team. When a player of Pokémon Go reaches level 5, they are required to choose a team in order to battle in the gyms. Mario is already at level 5 but he has yet to battle as he feels that his Pokémon are not ready to battle. Mario looks at the teams and different teams have its own different charm. The red team (Valor) seems like a strong team. Jerômé and Thomas who are far ahead of the game are both in team Valor and most of the Pokémon gyms nearby are dominated by them. There is also blue team (Mystic), which seems like a cool team. Mario likes the colour blue and the majority of their teammates like Manuel, Mesut, Julian are all in Mystic. And then there is the yellow team (Instinct), which the team that Marco joins. The team that only Marco joins. Mario does not know anyone else that is team Instinct apart from his buddy. Mario wonders why.

 

"Choose wisely, Mario. You can't switch teams."

 

Mario snaps out from his daydream when he hears André's voice. He looks at his choices. It looks exactly like his career choices. Why is this game so cruel? 

 

"Mario, you'll choose team Instinct, right?" Marco gives a pat on Mario's shoulder. Mario remains silent. He could see his phone shaking. It is not a vibration caused by a new Pokémon spawning or his phone notifications. He is literally shaking. And Marco's peer pressure does not help. Mario tries to delay his decision by distracting his friends but nothing seems to work. Both André and Marco are eager to know his decision now. The two guys stare at Mario, pressuring their friend to join their team. Mario has no choice but to tap on a nearby Pokémon gym and he is now presented with 3 choices.

 

The first team is Valor which seems to have a convincing description.

 

_Pokémon are stronger than humans, and they're warmhearted, too! I'm researching ways to enhance Pokémon's natural power in the pursuit of true strength. There's no doubt that the Pokémon our team have trained are the strongest in battle!_

 

 And then Mystic seems to have a wise description.

 

_The wisdom of Pokémon is immeasurably deep. I'm researching why it is that they evolve. My team? With our calm analysis of every situation, we can't lose!_

 

And lastly, Instinct which has an interesting description. 

 

__Pokémon are creatures with excellent intuition. I bet the secret to their intuition is related to how they're hatched. Come and join my team. You never lose when you trust your instinct!_ _

 

Looking at the choices, Mario flashes a smile. He is happy because he is certain with his choice now.

 

"Yes! I knew it!" Marco throws his fist up in the air. "I knew Sunny will join me!"

 

"Whatever!" André says and leaves the room immediately.

 

Mario jerks when Marco cuddles him without warning. But he is happy nonetheless. He feels silly for hesitant in such an easy decision. He should have listened to his heart from the very beginning. Yellow is where is heart is. Yellow has always been his home. Borussia Dortmund is yellow. Marco is yellow. Pikachu is yellow. He curls his lips and cuddles back his bestie.

 

The phone vibrates and a Pikachu appears on the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] cp - combat power of a Pokémon
> 
> The title kind of gave it away but I could not think of a better one :D Also yes, some of you have known that I am playing Pokémon Go and it is quite impossible not to write something about it ;) And yes, there might be another Pokémon fic in the future. Lol.


	7. Say Something (I'm Giving Up On You) - Marco/Mario/André

The chilly wind lifts the curtain up, making its way to the warm fuzzy bed, causing Mario to shiver a little. The sunlight slowly creeps in the room. Mario rolls around his bed to avoid the beaming light. His night time social media activities were the cause of his late sleeping pattern and now the wind seems to persuade him to stay on the bed. Mario curls himself into a ball, hiding with a thick blanket despite knowing that his alarm is yelling at him like a madman. But his ignorance to get up is ended when a ticklish feeling at his hips triggers him to giggle.

 

"Ah hahaha! Stop! Stop! Please!" 

 

Mario struggles on his bed, trying to get away from the ticklish feeling. He peels his sheets and sees his friend André giggling at him. Mario bulges his lower lip into a sulky pout. He picks up his pillow and throws it towards André. But André captures the pillow perfectly with his hands, causing him further annoys.

 

"Get up, sleepyhead!" André says, throwing the pillow back to Mario. "It's Marco's birthday."

 

Mario's ears perk up when he heard the words 'Marco's birthday'. He jumps off the bed and sprints to the bathroom to groom himself. In the midst of fixing his hair, he could hear Marco's voice in the bedroom. Mario sticks his head out to the bedroom and says,

 

"Happy birthday, Marco!"

 

Mario receives a slight smile from Marco in return. Instead of a thank you, Marco says, "Are you done? We're hungry."

 

"Just give me a minute." Mario replies.

 

His one minute eventually became ten minutes as usual. Mario walks with André and Marco to the cafeteria for a bite. His sunshine smile fades away when the big poster hanging on the corridor caught his sight. He breaks abruptly at the corridor, causing André to bump into his back. Not bothering with his surroundings, Mario places his hand on the poster to feel the trophy image.

 

"Hey, what the hell?" André shouts. He glances to Mario's hand where the poster is situated. His eyes grow wide, his mouth hangs wide to the poster.

 

"It's our promise, remember?" Mario says.

 

The promise. The promise of Mario, Marco, and André playing side by side at the Euro 2016. It is a promise the three of them had made two years ago when Marco had to pull out from the World Cup squad due to injury. In fact, the trio made a promise to play World Cup 2014 together too but only André and Mario were able to keep the promise. And they ended up winning the cup too. Not only they won it for themselves, the young duo won it for their country and their mate as well. It was a bittersweet victory for the young footballers, standing at the podium without their best friend. But this time they have sworn to keep the promise by training harder than the last time, hopefully, the results will be fruitful.

 

"Yes, the promise," André replies, adding his hand to the poster. He and Mario shift their sights to their friend Marco for the third hand. A slightly hesitant hand creeps into the scene. It holds back after 2 seconds after but another hand grabs it and smacks it to the wall.

 

"Now that Marco is here, we are going to win the Euro for sure!" Mario says, giving Marco a grin without realising he is causing pain to Marco's hand.

 

"I hope all three of us will be selected this year," Marco says as he stares at the poster.

 

"Oh shhh... of course, we are going to be selected! It's your birthday! We have to to be selected." Mario says.

 

"Oh yeah, the birthday boy. I'm going to hug him for more luck." André adds. He then grabs Marco and squeezes his teammate. Marco removes André's hands from himself with a nonchalant face. He then turns to André and says,

 

"I'm hungry. Let's go."

 

André is dumbfounded by Marco's behaviour. It was just yesterday they shared laughs together but the Marco today seems a little flustered. And the weirdest part is, they just started the day. He stares at his friend with blue sapphire eyes and asks, "Marco, why are you looking so down?"

 

"Nothing. It's just nerves, I guess." Marco lifts his lips and replies. His smile is a little dull than usual. André still stares at him despite the answer and continue to ask but Marco brushes him off. Marco's expression does not change throughout the meal and even in training session. He is a little off both physically and mentally, missing a few passes here and there. André could not put a finger into it but there is definitely something wrong with Marco's movements. But Marco insists that he is fine. Even Mario tells him not to worry, telling him that it is probably because of the announcement of the Euro that made Marco nervous. André still has an uneasy feeling, as if something bad will happen anytime soon. The morning training is cut off a little to give room for a special segment. The players gather at the center of the field to wait for instructions from the coaches.

 

"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to Marco~ Happy birthday to you~"

 

A cake is brought out of the blue and all the players start to sing the Happy Birthday song. Marco is surprised but thankful nonetheless. Everybody else has smile on their faces, putting down work a little while and let loose for the little celebration of their teammate. Thomas even asks for beer but the request is quickly denied by the head coach Joachim Löw. The celebration is cut short when a whistle blowing sound alerts the players.

 

"Everyone gather to the hall after this. We will have a short meeting and an announcement." says the assistant coach.

 

The players gather around at the main hall for the announcement. Everyone knows that the announcement they are about to get is the list of final squad for Euro 2016. The players are guessing who would get into the team. There are even bets made within themselves. Mario refrains himself from betting. Deep down inside he is not sure if he could make it, although he is confident that his mates André and Marco could make into the team. While waiting for the coaches, he fishes out his phone and uploads a picture on Instagram with a caption saying: ‘Happy birthday Marco! Can’t wait for our next tournament together #vivelafreundshaft". Mario flashes a smile before slipping it back into his pocket and switches his attention to his friends.

 

"My tummy is not feeling well." André says as he gets up from his seat.

 

"No, you're not! Sit down! They are about to make the announcement!" Mario says, yanking André arm to force the latter back to the seat.

 

As soon as the coaches walk into the hall, the noises in the room fade away. Mario swears he could hear footsteps sounds from the coaches' feet. There is an unusually long silence in the room before the head coach Joachim opens his mouth.

 

"Alright. Before I announce the names, I just want to tell you boys that all of you are extremenly talented but there are only 23 spots in the squad. Just because you're not chosen does not mean that you're not good. Don't stop believing."Joachim says. He opens up his notebook and starts to read the names out loud. "Neuer, Mustafi, Hector, Höwedes, Hummels, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Schürrle, Podolski, Draxler, Leno, Müller, Can, Weigl, Rüdiger, Boateng, Kroos, Götze, Sané, Kimmich, ter Stegen, Gómez."

 

"No, wait. Did I miss something? Where's Marco's name?" "Marco did you-" Mario says, looking around back and forth to get some confirmation.

 

"My name is not in, Mario." Marco cuts him.

 

Mario could feel a crack in his heart. Is this for real?

 

No, it can't be.

 

It must be a dream.

 

"I'm going to talk to the coach." Mario says, he gets up from his seat but he could feel something holding him back. 

 

"Mario, don't." Marco's hand grips tighter as he winces.

 

"No, they can't do that. It's your birthday." Mario raises his voice. "And you're clearly better than the most of us. Are the coaches blind or something?"

 

"It's the coach's decision. Leave it." Marco replies.

 

"I'll talk to them too. Maybe we can work out something." André chirps in.

 

"No, please don't. They are right. I'm not fit for the tournament." Marco replies in a sheepish voice.

 

"Marco, what happen?" André asks, as he leans forward and places his hand on Marco's shoulder.

 

"Tell us." Mario says. Slience creeps in the room until Mario breaks it. "Say something, Marco!"

 

"Groin injury." Mario replies with a nonchalant tone.

 

"No way. You were still training with us yesterday. You were fine. Mats and Bastian made it into the team. And they are older than you! Why can't they give you a chance?" Mario says.

 

"It's not that simple, Mario. The doctors said I can only run in a straight line and they couldn't confirm when I will be fit again." Marco answers. Tears start to well up his eyes. Mario rapidly moves forward and wrap his arms around Marco, with André adding into the group hug. Marco dugs his face into Mario's shoulder as tears continue to stream down.

 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Marco."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title comes from a song called 'Say Something' by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera.
> 
> Not edited as always. (I'm so lazy, opps.)

**Author's Note:**

> The title 'Die Mannschaft Spiral Notebook' actually comes from the masterplan book that the Die Mannschaft team had when they are in the World Cup.
> 
> If you like it please give me a kudos. Share it with your friends. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve :) Every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you :D
> 
> Yeah, you can follow me on [Tumblr](http://fearlesskiki.tumblr.com/) and [join the FBD Book Club!](https://footballblogsdirectory.tumblr.com/post/160746377878/welcome-to-the-fbd-book-club-this-is-a-place-to)


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